An FBAR is the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Form TD F 90-22.1 from the Dept. of Treasury (US). Who must file the FBAR? If you are a “person of the United States, and if you have “financial interest in, signature authority or other authority over any financial account(s) in a foreign country” […]

This is the store that we bought transformers as well as 220 volt garbage disposers etc. Its a good store – prompt shipping etc. Regarding transformers, you need step-down transformers (to step down the voltage from 220 volts to 110 volts for your US appliances). The ones we have got are on this page (scroll down to see […]

What are the pros and cons of moving to India, versus staying in the U.S. (or some other country)? This question was debated so many times by my friends and I (when I was deciding to move). It still continues to be debated now by my friends who are themselves thinking about moving. “What is the best […]

“If Your’e Coming Home Again” is a well written, interesting article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal recently. Mr. Sheth writes that: But is India really the land of opportunity for its returnees? Undoubtedly, there’s opportunity. But here are a few thoughts and suggestions that potential returnees should be aware of before they book their […]

For most it is just difficult to find good, accurate information on the various schools in India. There is a good website, that tries to fill this gap. Zeeksha is a place to find and share experiences about various schools and pre-schools in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune It was started by a group of […]

Should you bring your kitchen appliances with you? Or should you buy them once you reach India? Would the 110V appliances work in India? Or does one need to buy 220V appliances? The following should help you decide what to bring with you when you move to India.

It has now been almost two and a half years since I moved back to India. It is only in the past 10 months or so, that I truly feel settled and feel “at home”. The first 18 months were a rough roller coaster ride, and I have lost count of how many times I […]

The previous posts dealt with how to interview your prospective maid. This one deals with how much to pay her and how to negotiate the salary. Also, feel free to share your opinions and experiences on how you went about hiring your domestic staff.

After you have asked all your questions and got some basic understanding about your prospective maid, you now need to share with her what your requirements are. I am listing below what I normally tell them…you should add to or omit some of them as per your requirements. Job description – typically what I expect […]